ST. LOUIS - Sunday night's bizarre ending necessitated a pep talk to rookie Kolten Wong from St. Louis Cardinals veterans. The chat was to make sure Wong didn't put the weight of the Cardinals' 4-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of the World Series on himself after getting picked off first base to end the game. "The message most importantly being that was not the reason we lost the game," said Matt Carpenter . "That's how the game ended, but it certainly was not the reason we lost.

ST. LOUIS -- From Clay Buchholz throwing four innings of one-run ball without an overpowering fastball to Game 2 starter John Lackey making his first relief appearance in nine seasons, every Boston Red Sox player was on call Sunday night. But it was late lineup replacement Jonny Gomes who delivered the biggest blow to tie the best-of-seven World Series at two games apiece. Gomes hit a three-run home runagainst reliever Seth Maness in the sixth inning to help the Red Sox to a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

- In the year that the movie "42" dramatized the story of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier, the number of African Americans playing in the World Series is the same as the number playing in the major leagues when Robinson made his debut in 1947: one. "It's sad to see," said Boston Red Sox outfielder Quintin Berry , the only African American on the roster of either team. The percentage of African Americans in the major leagues has declined from about 19% in 1984 to about 8% today.

It appears we have another baseball controversy. Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday night was decided on a controversial call which allowed the St. Louis Cardinals to plate the winning run in the ninth inning of a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. Third base umpire James Joyce (of Armando Galaraga's would-be perfect game fame) ruled that Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks obstructed with Cardinals baserunner Allen Craig following an errant throw by catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis will be offering his analysis throughout the World Series. Ellis, 32, recently completed his second full season as a starter for the Dodgers by batting .333 in a National League division series against the Atlanta Braves and .316 in the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ellis is familiar with the Boston Red Sox, a team the Dodgers faced during the regular season. Regardless if your season ends after the traditional 162-game schedule or your team is fortunate enough to advance into the playoffs, the inevitable end of the year for all players marks the annual transition from everyday working professional baseball player to a daily routine that doesn't include bullpens and batting practice.

ST. LOUIS - Jonny Gomes does not really look the part of World Series hero. Not too tall, kind of squat, a designated hitter on a team that already has one. He is a dead pull hitter. There is nothing complicated or secret about his swing. "He's like the little guy in the pinball game," Boston Red Sox catcher David Ross said. "Just swings and comes back. " That is not a bad way to sum up his career. Gomes is a baseball itinerant. BOX SCORE: Red Sox 4, Cardinals 2 On Sunday, though, Gomes forever etched his name into the lore of one of baseball's most storied franchises.

ST. LOUIS - Boston Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester said he has received some good-natured ribbing from his friends and his wife about his penchant for sweating profusely. But Lester is more prepared for the scrutiny he will face Monday night in his first start since he was alleged to have a foreign substance on his glove when he pitched 72/3 scoreless innings Wednesday to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series. "I'm sure there's going to be focus on my glove and focus on my hands and what I'm doing," Lester said Sunday.

Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis will be offering his analysis throughout the World Series. Ellis, 32, recently completed his second full season as a starter for the Dodgers by batting .333 in a National League division series against the Atlanta Braves and .316 in the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ellis is familiar with the Boston Red Sox, a team the Dodgers faced during the regular season. The final play of the game came in an inning that will be analyzed and second-guessed for what Red Sox Manager John Farrell should have done.

ST. LOUIS - The debate over whether baseball should make both leagues play under the same rules is alive and well. Usually, it's good fodder for the bar, and for talk shows. One guy likes the designated hitter, the other does not, and the two agree to disagree. It's good fodder for the World Series too, the breathless questions about which bench player on the National League team can be trusted with a few extra at-bats in the American League park, and which bat the AL team might have to omit from its lineup in the NL park.

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Cardinals turned potentially decisive leads into harrowing and entertaining sequences Saturday in Game 3 of the World Series. Much of that stemmed from their inability to capitalize on rallies in the fourth and seventh innings. But that set up the zaniest finish, as Allen Craig was awarded home plate on an obstruction play called on Will Middlebrooks at third base after an errant throw by catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia with two out in the ninth inning to give the Cardinals a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox and take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.